Local Union #10 of the Sheet Metal Workers' International Association is one of the largest locals both in geographic area and membership which, consists of the state of Minnesota, North and South Dakota, and counties in Northern Wisconsin. Sheet Metal Workers Local #10 covers almost 168,000 square miles. Only Alaska and certain Canadian Locals take in more area. Membership in Local #10 currently
exceeds 5,000 + journeymen, apprentices, production workers, and retirees. This makes Local #10 the 3rd Largest Local in the International Association. Our members fabricate, install and service a wide range of metal products used all over the world. HVAC systems, exterior and interior architectural metal products, stainless steel kitchen equipment, signage & billboards, and products for the technology industry ranging from clean rooms to computer cabinets all are just a sample of the wide range of products that Local #10 members manufacture and install. The main office for Local #10 is in Maplewood, Minnesota, with five satellite offices, located in Duluth, St. There are over 275 employers that are signatory to 20 separate building trades’ contracts and 16 production contracts. Local #10 employs 15 full time people, Business Manager/President, Financial Secretary/Treasurer, nine Business Representatives, Organizer, and three Office Staff. In 1890 Local #32 in Duluth became the first Sheet Metal Workers' Local union in Minnesota, joined a few short years later by Locals #9 in St. Paul (1892) and #40 in Minneapolis (1893). By the early 1900's the SMWIA had spread throughout the state with additional Locals from Winona in the South East to Bemidji in the North West. In 1918 the two Locals in the Twin Cities merged to form Local #34, only to split 13 years later becoming Locals #34 (Minneapolis) and #76 (St. Paul). From the 1930's through the '60's Locals were formed throughout Minnesota and the Dakotas until there were close to 20 separate Locals in the three states. Economic conditions and common sense ushered in a period of consolidation over the next 20 years. Individual Locals in Northern and Southern Minnesota and throughout the Dakotas merged together for strength. By the late '70's, one Local, #14, serviced both the Dakotas. Local #32, Duluth, covered the Northern third of Minnesota, while Local #218, Rochester, covered the Southern third of Minnesota. This period of mergers continued until by 1983 only two building trades Locals remained in Minnesota. Local #76 in St. Paul taking in most of the Northern and Southern parts of the state, and Local #34 in Minneapolis that covered the broad midsection of Minnesota from Brainerd to the Minnesota River. In June of 1983, the SMWIA amalgamated the two nearly equal Locals to form Local #10. 1985 saw the remerging of Production Worker's Local #547 into Local #10. Originally part of Local #34, the production local had been independent since 1957. The final piece that makes up Local #10 came into place in 1991 with the merger of Local #14, which covered North and South Dakota.
